1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and means for reading the status of and remotely controlling irrigation components and ancillary equipment including, but not limited to, center pivots, linears, drip sectors, pumps, engine generators, valves, pressure sensors, etc., by means of a remote, handheld controller.
2. Description of the Related Art
Devices have been previously provided for the remote control of irrigation systems and components thereof. One prior art device for remotely controlling irrigation systems is the base station control. The base station control utilizes RF telemetry or cell phone telemetry to read the status of and control irrigation components from a personal computer (PC). The disadvantage of this method is that the user needs to be at the PC. Situations arise whereby after viewing the operation of the irrigation components, immediate action is needed. The base station control system requires the user to go back to the PC, which may be located miles away, for remote control capability.
A second type of system is known as the remote mount control panel system. Remote mount control panels consist of mounting the control panels of the components at a location in the field away from the components to thereby provide relatively easy access to the control panels. This requires burying the power and control wires in the field. This method also limits access to the control panels to one particular location, that being the location of the remote mounted control panel.